A Supervisor Conference is coming soon, the Bonita Springs Area Chamber of Commerce welcomes board of director members, a DAF discussion is slated and more.

SHRM SWFL SUPERVISOR CONFERENCE UPCOMING

The Society for Human Resource Management of Southwest Florida (SHRM SWFL) will host the third annual Supervisor Conference from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday at the Lee County School Board in Fort Myers. Doors open at 7:30 a.m., when attendees can sign-in and enjoy a continental breakfast. Speakers include Michael Wynn, president, Sunshine Ace Hardware; Suzanne Boy, employment lawyer, Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt P.A.; Ammie Black, training and development associate; Justin Libak, recruitment branding and strategy executive, USA Today; and Angela J. Pruitt, chief human resources officer, School District of Lee County. The cost to attend is $35 for chapter members, $50 for non-chapter members and guests, $40 for groups of four or more from the same company, and $50 for walk-ins, if available. Limited sponsorships are still available. To register for the event, visit shrmswfl.org.

FGCBC TO LAUNCH ALLIANCE AGAINST OFFSHORE DRILLING

The Florida Gulf Coast Business Coalition(FGCBC), of which the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce is a member, will publicly launch its alliance against the expansion of offshore oil drilling off Florida’s gulf coast. The press conference will be held on Tuesday at Tradewinds Islands Grand Resort in St. Pete Beach. Speakers include Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla; Robin Miller, president and CEO, Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce; and David Yates, CEO, Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Representing more than 2,000 businesses, chambers and associations, the FGCBC works to ensure offshore drilling does not come one mile closer to Florida’s coast and opposes any new drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. For more information, visit http://www.protectthegulfcoast.org.

SRMA TO HOST ROUNDTABLE, NETWORKING EVENT

The Southwest Regional Manufacturers Association (SRMA) will host a roundtable headed by management expert Steve Wilkinson, president of Rapid Lean Coach LLC, from 8-9:30 p.m. on Oct. 24 at CareerSource Southwest Florida in Fort Myers. The “Lean & Mean Manufacturing” roundtable is free to attend and will deliver tips on keeping expenses low, profits high and personnel energized. Wilkinson works with manufacturers in Southwest Florida, New England and internationally to help them identify improvement opportunities, solve problems and improve work flow. The SRMA also invites manufacturers to network at its After Hours Social, held from 5-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday at List Distillery in Fort Myers. The cost is $15 for members and $25 for non-members. For more information, visit srma.net/category/events. Email Kagan at neil@srma.net or call (239) 560-0052 to find out how to become an SRMA member.

DONOR ADVISED FUNDS DISCUSSION SLATED

The Planned Giving Council of Lee County Inc. will present “How Donor Advised Funds Can Benefit Your Non-Profit and Your Donors” at a meeting held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 25 at Blue Coyote Business & Social Club in Fort Myers. Networking begins at 11:30 a.m. and the lunch and program begins at noon. William Hewitt, vice president of institutional development, American Endowment Foundation, is the featured speaker. Hewitt has been involved in the financial services and philanthropic communities for more than 40 years. He joined American Endowment Foundation in June 2016 to help lead their institutional development efforts and expand donor-advised fund (DAF) opportunities within the financial services community. Hewitt’s presentation will center on DAF trends and the specific benefits related to their impact on IRS Schedule A deductions. The event is free to Planned Giving Council of Lee County members and $30 for nonmembers, which includes lunch. The reservation deadline is noon on Oct. 22. To RSVP, visit plannedgivinglee.org.​

BRUNO TOTAL HOME PERFORMANCE PROMOTES TWO

Bruno Total Home Performance has promoted Tammy Schreier and Luisa Del Castillo to general manager and master controller, respectively. As general manager, Schreier oversees daily operations, including planning, organizing and directing cost center and profit center activities, coordinating and developing key performance goals, providing direction for key reports, and managing quality assurance programs, as well as managing overall operational efficiencies. Prior to her promotion, Schreier was operations manager for Bruno Total Home Performance and held positions in finance and consumer financing. As master controller, Del Castillo is responsible for establishing financial policies, procedures, controls and reporting systems, as well as guiding financial decisions that maximize return and preparing special reports summarizing financial information and trends, all while ensuring accuracy in reporting. With Bruno Total Home Performance for three years, Del Castillo previously worked as business process management director, where she was instrumental in developing the infrastructure that manages each segment of the business.​​​

CHARITABLE NOTES​

Real Estate Investment Society awards scholarships

The Real Estate Investment Society (REIS) has awarded the annual Paul Sands Memorial – REIS Scholarship to Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) students Chezanne McLeod, Randy Lopez and Seth Thompson. The scholarships each provide $2,500 toward tuition and books plus honorary membership in REIS for one year, where scholars may attend meetings on a complimentary basis. McLeod is a senior majoring in legal studies and minoring in real estate with plans to work in a real estate law firm. Lopez is a junior majoring in pre-finance and intends to be a real estate financial analyst after graduation. Thompson is a senior majoring in finance. He currently interns with a commercial real estate brokerage and looks forward to a career as an investment advisor. For more information about the REIS scholarship program, visit www.reis-swfl.orgor contact Mark Morris, (239) 489-3303 extension 175.

Norris collecting teddy bears for 12th Annual Festival of Trees

Norris Furniture & Interiors is collecting new teddy bear donations for the 12th Annual Festival of Trees. Norris will be accepting donations at its Fort Myers, Naples and Sanibel Island showrooms. The deadline to donate is Nov. 19. The new, stuffed teddy bear donations will be used to decorate the “Very Beary” tree as part of the Southwest Florida Goodwill Foundation’s holiday fundraiser. Filled with hundreds of bears donated by the community, the tree will be displayed from Nov. 27 - Dec. 2 during the festival at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center. Following the festival, the tree will be donated and transported to the Golisano Children’s Hospital in Fort Myers. Last year’s Festival of Trees raised $74,000 to support The Southwest Florida Goodwill Foundation. For more information, visit www.GoodwillTrees.com.​

Signature Chefs Auction raises $375,000 for March of Dimes

The March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction, presented by the Higdon Group, took place on Oct. 3 at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa. The sold-out event raised $375,000, $210,000 more than last year’s record-setting total. The event featured 17 chefs in Southwest Florida. The event co-chairs, Josh and Lisa Dorcey, will be co-chairing again in 2019.